Samuel Ringgold

Samuel Ringgold (1796-1846) - Born 16 Oct 1796, Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland. A professional military officer and United States Military Academy graduate (Cullum 184). Mortally wounded during the Mexican War at Palo Alto he died 11 May 1846 at Point Isabel, Texas.

Samuel Ringgold circa 1825

Major Ringold Mortally wounded (LOC)

Samuel entered the United States Military Academy at West Point 24 Oct 1814 and graduated 24 Jul 1818. He was later promoted to Bvt. Major in acknowledgment of his military innovations: the McClelland military saddle and the idea of flying artillery, a tactical concept employing artillery pieces that could be moved quickly from place to place. In 1846, in the first clash of the Mexican War, Ringgold led a small American force to victory at Palo Alto. Severely wounded in both thighs by cannon fire, he died on 11 May 1846 at Point Isabel. He was buried outside the walls of Fort Polk (1), Texas. His remains were reinterred in Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland, on 22 Dec 1846. News of his death, the first of the war, created an explosion of national pride, and he became a hero.